Jordan is 58 years old, perhaps triple the age of his classmates and perhaps enjoying the work three times as much as they do.

He's nearing the end of a roundabout path he took to get a college degree. It started in the mid-1970s, back when he was a basketball player here. It continued when he played for the New Jersey Nets and came back to take a class each summer. "I always wanted to get my degree," Jordan says. "I've always had that intention."

Rutgers hired Jordan as its new head coach in April following the ouster of Mike Rice, who had been captured on video throwing basketballs at players' heads and screaming vulgarities and slurs at them. When the Scarlet Knights announced Jordan's hiring, they incorrectly referred to him as a Rutgers graduate, yet another piece of bad publicity for a school reeling from a scandal.

So the new coach announced he'd be getting that degree after all. Jordan signed up for a summer class, on top of his daily coaching duties and recruiting responsibilities. His degree will be in labor studies, most likely. Jordan, who has remained Rutgers' career leader in assists and steals since his playing days in the '70s, hopes to finish all of his requirements by this time next year.

"Because I've had life experiences working, it made sense to do something that I liked," Jordan says. "I've already had a class that I really, really loved. If there was an A+, I think (I would have gotten it). I got an A."

He smiles. Those around him occasionally tease him -- assistant coach Van Macon says the staff "busts his chops every once in awhile" -- and find it funny when he talks about going home to do his reading for class. Later, they'll admit they admire what he's doing, and they have no idea how he has the time.

Fixing the Rutgers men's basketball program is a pretty time-consuming task. The program has missed every NCAA tournament since Jordan was last in town as an assistant coach in 1991. But after the video of Rice surfaced this spring, Rutgers needed more than just help; it needed to be gutted and restored whole. The scandal cost Rice and athletic director Tim Pernetti their jobs. In came Jordan and, eventually, new athletic director Julie Hermann, who brought her own controversial past to the school.

To say it's been a rocky time at Rutgers would be an understatement. But that's not how Jordan feels. After 20 years of coaching in the NBA, which saw him compile a 257-343 record as a head coach with the Sacramento Kings, Washington Wizards and Philadephia 76ers, Jordan picked up the phone and said yes to a job that many might have hesitated to take.

"After all these years in basketball, I've been through a lot of experiences," Jordan says. "Winning, championship seasons, tough seasons, losing seasons -- all of that prepares you for something like this.

"I thought it was perfect timing. It was the right place to be at the right time."

Jeff Caponigro, a crisis management expert based in Michigan, says he believes Jordan has a major advantage as he tries to lead a program out from under the cloud of scandal.

"He can always claim that he wasn't around for that, that he's a different kind of guy, a different type of coach," Caponigro says. "Following a situation like that is sometimes, in many ways, an easy situation to come into in the sense that you can learn from the past, learn from past mistakes, but you weren't around to make those mistakes. But he needs to prove that he obviously runs a different type of program."

Jordan considers himself lucky. He says he doesn't have to change his personality or mold himself into the anti-Rice to offset what happened. "What you are is a caring, hold-your-arm-around-guys coach," he says. "I didn't have to change my personality or check my persona when I talk to the team. This is just who I am and how I coach."

His approach and personality are what endear him to his players -- the ones who stayed at Rutgers after the scandal -- as well as recruits. He won over his assistants his first weekend on the road recruiting. Jordan showed them the type of kid he wanted to recruit; they agreed to find them. Before both sides even realized it, they were moving on.

Says assistant David Cox: "The two of us, we didn't think …"

"We didn't think we'd get to this point," Macon finishes.

It's not completely over, of course. Everyone at Rutgers knows the outside world is watching closely. No games have been played; none have been won.

"That's so important, to realize you're under a microscope more than at other programs," Caponigro says. "You've got to prove that the bleeding has stopped at Rutgers. Until they can prove that and get to the point where you're starting to win … It's amazing as we've seen in sports and other parts of life, if people win, sometimes they forget about problems or issues that have come up in the past."

Caponigro believes the two things that differentiate college athletic programs are winning and perceived integrity. Jordan is working on fixing both, and finally getting himself a diploma to boot.

"The basketball program was the centerpiece of the embarrassment," Jordan says. "It's the centerpiece of how we move forward."

Nicole Auerbach, a national college basketball reporter for USA TODAY Sports, is on Twitter @NicoleAuerbach.

No. 1 Kentucky: The Wildcats missed the tournament a year after winning the national title. But Alex Poythress and Willie Cauley-Stein return to Kentucky to help John Calipari welcome in the nation's top recruiting class, boasting the top-rated point guard (Andrew Harrison), shooting guard (Aaron Harrison) and power forward (Julius Randle) in the 2013 class
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No. 2 Michigan State: The Spartans lost last year in the Sweet 16. But Gary Harris and Adreian Payne made Michigan State coach Tom Izzo's offseason when they decided to skip the NBA draft to return to East Lansing.
Rick Osentoski, USA TODAY Sports

No. 3 Louisville: Peyton Siva and Gorgui Dieng are gone. But once was not enough for Louisville guard Russ Smith. After averaging 22.3 points in the tournament and leading the Cardinals to a national title, Smith decided to return for another year.
Bob Donnan, USA TODAY Sports

No. 5 Kansas: The Jayhawks, without their five best players from last year’s team, will rely heavily on a stellar incoming freshman class headlined by highly-touted recruit Andrew Wiggins, who chose KU over top suitors Florida State, North Carolina and Kentucky. Sophomore Perry Ellis returns to a team that lost Ben McLemore and Jeff Withey to the NBA. Outside of John Calipari’s recruiting class, Bill Self assembled the best group of freshmen in the country behind Wiggins and Joel Embiid, the top-rated center in the country. Self’s best recruiting class positions Kansas to win its 10th consecutive Big 12 Conference title.
Nam Y. Huh, AP

No. 6 Arizona: The Wildcats lost in the Sweet 16 and the team's top two scorers are going. But Kaleb Tarczewski joins Nick Johnson and Brandon Ashley as three guys who averaged 25.6 points together.
Douglas C. Pizac, USA TODAY Sports

No. 8 Michigan: The national runner-up last season, the Wolverines lost consensus national player of the year Trey Burke and shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. to the NBA draft, but bring back a number of key players capable of keeping the team near the top of the Big Ten. Sophomore Mitch McGary had his coming-out party in the NCAA tournament, averaging 14.3 points and 10.7 rebounds in six games, including a 25-point, 14-rebound performance against Kansas in the Sweet 16. Coach John Beilein brought in another strong recruiting class, providing depth across the roster. Despite the roster shakeup, Michigan has enough talent to make another deep run in the tournament.
Daniel Shirey, USA TODAY Sports

No. 9 Syracuse: The Orange lost three of their four best players, over 55% of their scoring and nearly 86% of their assists, but don’t be surprised when they challenge Duke and North Carolina for the conference crown in their first season in the ACC. The Orange return senior forward C.J. Fair, their scoring and rebounding leader a year ago, as well as a bevy of talented underclassmen including sophomores DaJuan Coleman, Michael Gbinije and Jerami Grant. And freshmen Tyler Ennis and Tyler Roberson are noteworthy additions. It’s tough to expect this season’s team to top last year squad’s Final Four run, but Jim Boeheim always formulates an Orange team that’s in the mix.
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No. 10 Oklahoma State: The Cowboys lost in in the second round but got great news after that. Marcus Smart, expected to be a lottery pick, decided to return to school
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No. 12 Ohio State: Yes, the Buckeyes lost their leading scorer, Deshaun Thomas (19.8 ppg), to the NBA draft. But they've got everyone else, led by the best on-ball defender in the country in point guard Aaron Craft. Craft will be surrounded by talented players who gained a great deal of experience last year – Lenzelle Smith, Jr., LaQuinton Ross and Sam Thompson – and Ohio State should once again be among the best teams in one of the country's top conferences.
Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY Sports

No. 13 Memphis: The Tigers lost in the third round and then lost three key players after the season. However, Josh Pastner had a great recruiting class and also gets point guard Joe Jackson and his 13.6 points and 4.8 assists coming back.
Nelson Chenault, USA TODAY

No. 14 Virginia Commonwealth: Coach Shaka Smart once again passed up job offers at other, more prominent schools to remain in Richmond, something that's become a bit of an offseason ritual in these parts. But what that means is more Havoc, and perhaps Smart's best team yet. In his fifth season at the helm, he'll return most of his offensive production from a team that reached the third round of the NCAA tournament. Treveon Graham (15.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg) and Juvonte Reddic (14.6 ppg, 8.1 rpg) will carry the scoring load, while other players like Rob Brandenberg and Briante Weber will step up in the absence of key players Troy Daniels and Darius Theus (lost to graduation).
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No. 15 Connecticut: The Huskies are back after a year spent in limbo due to poor academics, a rough patch in program history that also cost them some of their best players to the NBA and transferring. But Kevin Ollie earned himself the permanent head coaching gig, and UConn pulled off some nice wins last season despite lacking the motivation most teams have throughout the season: the potential for postseason glory. Now, the Huskies have it. Shabazz Napier (17.1 ppg, 4.6 apg) will try to lead this team back to the NCAA tournament and establish himself as one of the best guards in the nation.
David Butler II, USA TODAY Sports

No. 16 Wichita State: WSU came up short in the Final Four as one of the great surprises in the tournament. But the Shockers proved how talented they are and leading scorer Cleanthony Early (13.9) is back along with top freshman Ron Baker.
Bob Donnan, USA TODAY Sports

No. 17 Creighton: Doug McDermott was named a First Team All-American for a second consecutive year, and, for a second consecutive year, he chose to return to school and pass up the chance to go to the NBA. McDermott averaged 23.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game last year, and if it's possible, he may have to carry more of the load now that Gregory Echenique and Grant Gibbs will be gone. (Note: Gibbs is petitioning the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility.) Either way, even with Creighton moving to the Big East, it's hard to count out a team that's led by one of the best – if not, the best – players in the nation.
Dave Weaver, USA TODAY Sports

No. 20 Gonzaga: Though Gonzaga loses its entire starting frontcourt in Kelly Olynyk (17.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg) and Elias Harris (14.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg), the 'Zags have two more-than-adequate big-man replacements ready in Sam Dower and Przemek Karnowski. Plus, Kevin Pangos (11.9 ppg, 3.3 apg) and Gary Bell Jr. (9.0 ppg, 2.1 apg) return to run a very good backcourt. The Bulldogs are usually ranked each season and always the team to beat in the West Coast Conference, and this season will continue that trend. Now, to just reach that elusive Final Four …
Steve Dykes, USA TODAY Sports

21. Tennessee: After a somewhat disappointing season last year, the Vols managed to hold on to their two best scorers and players and added a strong recruiting class that will enable them to stretch the floor more. With Stokes and McRae a year better, the Vols will contend for the SEC title and are a sure bet for a postseason NCAA berth, but it will take something special to unseat John Calipari’s loaded Kentucky squad atop the SEC.
Daniel Shirey, USA TODAY Sports

No. 22 Marquette:These Golden Eagles won a share of the old Big East regular season championship, but they lose quite a bit heading into their first season as members of the new Big East. They knew Junior Cadougan and Trent Lockett would exhaust their eligibility, but they weren't counting on the unexpected loss of leading scorer Vander Blue (14.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.8 apg), who declared for the draft. The task of getting Marquette back to the Elite Eight will be a tall one, but it's hard to doubt Buzz Williams. He took last year's team deep into the NCAA tournament after losing his top two scorers, and he'll look to do the same with who he's got returning, most notably Davante Gardner (11.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg). The Golden Eagles are always a tough out, and they'll remain so next fall.
Geoff Burke, USA TODAY Sports

No. 23 Indiana: Only Kansas lost more than Indiana did this offseason. The Hoosiers lost four starters – seniors Christian Watford and Jordan Hulls to graduation, as well as sophomore Cody Zeller and junior Victor Oladipo to the NBA draft – which leaves coach Tom Crean with rising senior Will Sheehey (9.5 ppg) and Yogi Ferrell (7.6 ppg, 4.1 apg), who looks to build off a very promising freshman season. What keeps the Hoosiers in this early Top 25 is their incoming freshman class: Noah Vonleh, Troy Williams, Luke Fischer, Stanford Robinson, Devin Davis and Collin Hartman.
Brian Spurlock, USA TODAY Sports

No. 24 Iowa: The Hawkeyes were close to securing an NCAA tournament bid in 2013, but wins were a little too tough to come by in the ultra-competitive Big Ten. Iowa eventually fell to Baylor in the NIT final, but it opened some eyes during its postseason run. Now, the Hawkeyes return nearly everyone, including all those crucial to a successful season, most notably Roy Devyn Marble (15.0 ppg, 3.0 apg), Aaron White (12.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg) and Mike Gesell (8.7 ppg, 2.6 apg). The only thing that will limit Iowa's success in 2013-14 will be how well the Hawkeyes can survive punishing Big Ten regular season.
Reese Strickland, USA TODAY Sports

No. 25 Virginia: The Cavaliers shouldn't have any issues making the field of 68 next season after just missing the NCAA tournament this year. In coach Tony Bennett's fifth season, Virginia loses Jontel Evans (4.2 ppg, 4.8 apg) but brings a majority of its roster back, led by its top two leading scorers, Joe Harris (16.3 ppg, 2.2 apg) and Akil Mitchell (13.1 ppg, 8.9 rpg). Plus, Malcolm Brogdon (medical redshirt) and South Carolina transfer Anthony Gill will be eligible for the Cavs.
Geoff Burke, USA TODAY Sports